US postpones mandatory Entry Type 13 for international mail to 20 January 2027
CBP moved the mandatory start of electronic Entry Type 13 filings for certain postal parcels from 22 October 2026 to 20 January 2027. Duties are still due and the $800 de minimis stays suspended.
On 14 October 2026 US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a 90-day delay for the new electronic entry process for international mail. The mandatory date moves from 22 October 2026 to 20 January 2027.
What was delayed
Entry Type 13 is a new informal entry filed electronically in ACE for parcels that arrive by post. Once mandatory, postal shipments that are subject to Section 201, 232 or 301 duties, or that fall under another agency's rules (for example food or cosmetics), must be filed this way to clear as an informal entry. Otherwise a formal entry is needed. Only the owner or purchaser, or a licensed customs broker acting for them, may file it.
CBP tested the system in ACE from 22 September 2026 and says mail entry procedures will not change before 20 January 2027.
What did not change
- The $800 de minimis exemption stays suspended. Postal parcels still owe duty.
- Tariff rates are the same. The delay only concerns how the entry is filed.
- A separate proposal published on 8 October 2026 would extend similar rules to almost all mail parcels. It is not in force yet.
Example
A seller in Türkiye mails $200 of cotton T-shirts to a US buyer. Since July 2026 Turkish goods carry a 12.5% Section 301 duty on top of the 16.5% normal rate, so the duty is $58 (29%) whether the parcel arrives in October or in February. What changes is only the paperwork: because the parcel is subject to Section 301, from 20 January 2027 it needs an Entry Type 13 filing (or a formal entry) before it can be released.
DutyLens calculations are not affected by this delay.